Goodbye and Hello
by starflake12
Summary: Kurt and Santana move on. Companion piece to More than a Lima Loser. Takes place before Surprise.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Saying Goodbye  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 2,159  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Kurt, Blaine, Finn, Burt, Carole, Santana, appearances by other New Directions  
><strong>Pairing(s): <strong>Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/OMC, Santana/Britney, Santana/OFC  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Drama/Angst (?)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> K-T I'm not quite sure? (I don't know how to write _those_ scenes, so if you're looking for porn, you've come to the wrong place.)  
><strong>Warnings: <strong>Unbetaed, feel free to correct any grammatical or syntactical errors. Also, this is a break up fic! So, if you actually like Klaine, well…this is not for you…Also, if you like Santana/Britney…also, not for you…  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Kurt is moving on, he's going to New York, and he's never looking back.  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> umm, up to and including 3x12, just to be safe?

**Author's Note: **If you haven't read _More than a Lima Loser_, or _Surprise_, you should know this will eventually be Puck/Kurt. Well, actually it will mostly be Kurt/Santana friendship and some Kurt/OMC and Santana/OFC (like MLL) until it catches up to _Surprise_, but from then on it will be Puck/Kurt and Santana/Quinn.

**Author's Note 2: **I don't hate Blaine. I liked him at first, and then he got annoying and I sort of grew out of him, and I pretty much was indifferent toward him. So, at first I tried to make this a break-up where they hate each other, but then the two of them had to be cute with cute scenes. First, Blaine takes the slushee for Kurt, and then they dance during Love Shack, where they have some semblance of chemistry. So, I had to make it somewhat happier and more peaceful.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine.

* * *

><p>Kurt was sitting on his bed staring at the piece of paper in his hands. He wasn't crying, despite the shock of the letter's contents, no matter what his dad said. Considering his dad's eyes were a little watery too though, Kurt figured it was okay.<p>

"Do I get to tell Blaine?"

Kurt laughed through his sniffles. He admired how supportive his father was of his relationship, as well as how proud of Kurt he was. He'd had this conversation with his dad a number of times. Blaine's a good guy, and he'd always hold a place in Kurt's heart as his first love, but there was no reason to ever give up on his dreams. There was no reason to stay in Ohio when he'd been fighting his whole life to get out. The letter in his hands was confirmation that he could leave and never look back. Kurt was about to respond to his dad's question when Finn knocked on the door and came barging in without waiting for a response.

"Mom says dinner's rea—what's wrong?"

Kurt tried to wipe has face as discreetly as he could, while his dad rubbed his eyes.

"Nothing's wrong, everything's fine, Finn," Kurt responded through his tears.

"Then why are you crying," Finn questioned.

Finn took a step back from the simultaneous glares he received from Burt and Kurt. Burt cleared his throat before he responded to Finn.

"Your brother's going to New York," he said through a rough voice.

Finn looked momentarily confused.

"Yeah, I know…"

"No, Finn," Kurt said, as he held up the letter in his hands, "I'm actually _going_ to New York!"

Finn looked at the letter in Kurt's hands before he looked back at Burt, who had a big smile on his face, and then he looked back to Kurt before looking at the letter. The expression on his face quickly morphed into one of glee, as he shouted, "YOU GOT IN?" He ran over to Kurt and embraced him fiercely while picking him up off the ground.

"Finn," Kurt choked out, "Can't…breathe…"

"Oh, sorry," Finn said sheepishly, before letting go of Kurt, "But, that's great, Kurt! Congratulations!"

Kurt beamed at Finn. He and Finn had a rocky start, but it was nice to know they were really brothers. He appreciated the relationship he had with Finn. They fought like brothers did, they gave advice, and they cared about each other. Kurt loved his family and just as he thought he might start crying over the thought of leaving them, he heard Carole coming up the stairs, while shouting at Finn.

"Honestly, Finn, I told you to call everyone down for dinner, and you can't even—"

She stopped in Kurt's doorway with a confused expression on her face, "Oh, what's going on?"

"Mom," Finn yelled as he snatched the paper out of Kurt's hands, causing the latter to glower at him, "Look, Kurt got in to NYADA!"

"OH, honey that's wonderful," she shouted as she wrapped her arms around Kurt in a hug just as fierce as Finn's. Kurt made a point of hugging back just as fiercely before letting her know that she was cutting off his oxygen supply.

"Congratulations, sweetheart, we have to celebrate! In the meantime, dinner's ready, so all of you boys need to get downstairs ten minutes ago."

"Yes, Mom."

"Yes, Carole."

"Yes, Carole."

Carole smiled to herself as her boys left the room in a single file line to head down to dinner.

~PKQSMSFW~

"So, um, what are you going to tell Blaine?"

Kurt sighed in response to the question Finn and his dad had been asking since dinner last night. He knew why his dad had been asking. His dad wants him to experience the world with nothing to hold Kurt back. His dad wanted him to leave this town and never look back just as much as Kurt did. He also knew why Finn was asking. He knew Finn was feeling like he'd never amount to anything, and wanted someone to hold his hand. He knew Finn thought Rachel was the only good thing in his life, but Kurt knew that wasn't true. He had a brother with so much potential, and if Finn could just realize that on his own, Kurt would have a lot less work cut out for himself.

"I'm breaking up with him."

"What, but why? You love him, and yeah, he's a junior, so he's staying here, but you two could date long distance?"

Kurt sighed again. He knew exactly what Finn was saying and why he was saying it. Part of Finn really did support Kurt's relationship with Blaine, but the other part of Finn just wanted a reason advocating his proposal to Rachel.

"I do love him. I care about him, and I want us to work, but I also know that if the two of us attempt a long distance relationship, we'll break up hating each other's guts instead of leaving our friendship intact. I also know that despite how selfish I'm being that I want the full college experience, and I can't go to college and expect my relationship with my high school boyfriend to last."

Kurt sniffled and tried to pretend he was looking for something in his locker. He needed Finn to go away for now and stop asking him questions because there was no way he could have this entire conversation twice.

"I…I'll see you in class," Finn murmured, before he walked down the hall to the English classroom.

Kurt sighed to himself for the hundredth time that day. He knew that wasn't what Finn wanted to hear, but it was the truth. He also knew that he'd have to speak with Blaine at some point during the day.

~PKQSMSFW~

Kurt knew Finn wasn't thrilled with his decision to break up with Blaine. He understood that Finn thought Blaine and Kurt's relationship was similar to Finn and Rachel's. He thought Kurt and Rachel were going to head to the big city and forget about Finn and Blaine. Kurt knows Finn's feeling expendable, but he can't really blame him, especially considering that when they got back together last year, they had made it clear that their relationship had an expiration date. Kurt sighs as the bell rings after class. He and Blaine have a free period together and they usually spend it together in the choir room. When he gets to the choir room, however, Santana and Brittany are already there, so Kurt changes course and fires off a text to Blaine asking him to meet him in the courtyard. When he opens the doors, Kurt takes in the sight around him. He sees the spot where Blaine set the piano on fire, and sees the steps where they all performed 'Empire State of Mind.' He looks around at a few of the students who are either ditching class or have a free period of their own. Kurt looks up at the stairs where he was sitting when he told Blaine that Karofsky had _stolen_ his first kiss. Kurt releases a sigh as he realizes he never has to come back here. He is going to leave Mckinley and never look back. He's relishing in the thought when Blaine comes up behind him.

"Hey, why'd you want to meet in the courtyard?"

"The choir room was occupied."

"Oh," Blaine replies with his toothpaste commercial smile before he sits down on top of the table and rests his feet on the bench.

Kurt takes a seat next to him and crosses his legs before pulling his NYADA letter out of his bag. He wordlessly hands it over to Blaine who looks momentarily confused before his eyes widen in realization. When Blaine finishes reading the letter, he looks up at Kurt with a smile on his face. He looks around at the relatively _empty_ courtyard and then places his hand on top of Kurt's where it's resting on his knee, and squeezes once before letting go.

"Kurt, congratulations, this is great!" Blaine's grinning at him, and Kurt responds with a watery smile of his own.

"Kurt," Blaine states in that tone of his that always manages to make Kurt feel like he's being mocked. Blaine sighs before continuing, "This is wonderful news, Kurt."

Kurt laughs at himself a little, and is thankful that he feels a lot less like he wants to cry. He can't help himself from snapping at Blaine though.

"I know that!" Kurt stops himself from getting too angry at Blaine because if he does Blaine will just try to comfort him with kind words that will leave Kurt feeling too guilty to do what he needs to do. So, he takes a deep breath and tries to figure out what he wants to say. He's never actually broken up with someone before. He's pretty surprised at himself for even coming to this decision, but he knows if they don't end it now, it will only end in heartbreak for one or both of them later. Before he can even process them, the words are flying out of his mouth and Blaine's looking at him with wide eyes and a shocked expression. Kurt feels his gut tighten at the feeling of guilt that overcomes him.

"I don't understand, Kurt."

Kurt understands Blaine's confusion considering this is sort of out of the blue. As far as Blaine is concerned, they've been nothing but a happy couple that everyone thinks is going to live happily ever after. Kurt feels selfish for doing this but he knows he can't let someone hold him back. If he goes to New York now, he needs to leave this town behind entirely, and Blaine will just be another tie he has to Ohio. He continues talking and tries to explain in the best way he can about new chapters and new beginnings, and how they're better off as friends, and before he knows it his eyes are red and he's rambling and feeling completely selfish. When he looks up Blaine's eyes are red too, and he places his hand on top of Kurt's again, and _smiles_ before replying.

"I get it."

Kurt looks up at Blaine shocked because that is not what he expected.

"If I were in your position, then I'd make the same decision."

Kurt frowned at Blaine. He had no clue why he was upset with Blaine for saying he'd do exactly what Kurt himself was doing. He also had no idea why he was so surprised by Blaine's admission. It's not as if they don't both have the same ambitions and the same dreams. They both knew they weren't the 'happily ever after' type of couple. Their relationship had an expiration date, and Kurt only realized it when he opened that letter that said he was finally leaving this place. He sighed and sniffled before putting his other hand on top of his and Blaine's conjoined hands.

"You were a really great first boyfriend."

Blaine gives him a soft laugh in reply before sniffling and saying, "You were too."

Kurt smiles then, and says, "Hey it's still free period, do you want to go off campus for lunch?"

Blaine smiles softly, and shakes his head in reply.

"I promised Artie I would work on our song for Glee this week. He said something about trying to woo Sugar again."

Kurt smiled fondly and shook his head. "Alright, I'll see you at rehearsal, then?"

"Of course."

Kurt jumps off the table and starts to walk away before Blaine's voice stops him. He turns around to find himself face to face with Blaine. He suppresses a gasp at Blaine's next move because he's shocked at what would normally be considered a _public_ display of affection by Blaine. Blaine's still smiling at him when he moves forward and softly kisses Kurt. Kurt closes his eyes and then pulls away with a sad sort of smile and a tilt of his head. Blaine clears his throat and says, "I'll see you later," before walking off.

Kurt walks back inside the building, but instead of heading to the choir room, he heads to the Spanish classroom that he knows is empty this period because Mr. Schuester doesn't have class and spends lunchtime in the lounge with Coach Beiste and Ms. Pillsbury. He finds Santana sitting at the desk with her head bowed staring at her hands on the desk in front of her.

He can't help but ask, "Are you praying?"

She jerks her head up abruptly and scowls at him.

"Maybe, what's it to you?"

Kurt just rolls his eyes at her defensive attitude and sits down in the desk in front of her. He sits quietly and waits for her to talk to him because that's how this worked. If she wanted to talk, then she would talk. If she didn't, then she'd say so, and they'd move on.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note 3:<strong> I wrote the line about Karofsky BEFORE "On My Way," and I worked hard on this fic, so I'm not going to change anything that's FACT because some people's sensitivities are threatened.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Saying Goodbye  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 1300  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Kurt, Santana, Brittany, Mr. Schuester, appearances by other New Directions  
><strong>Pairing(s): <strong>past Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/OMC, Santana/Brittany, Santana/OFC  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Drama/Angst (?)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> K-T I'm not quite sure? (I don't know how to write _those_ scenes, so if you're looking for porn, you've come to the wrong place.)  
><strong>Warnings: <strong>Unbetaed, feel free to correct any grammatical or syntactical errors. Also, this is a break up fic! So, if you actually like Klaine, well…this is not for you…Also, if you like Santana/Brittany…also, not for you…  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Santana knows Brittany will get bored sooner or later. After all, that's what bisexual—bi-_curious—_means. But, Santana's going to hold on for as long as she can, even if it means letting go of her dreams.  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> umm, up to and including 3x12, just to be safe?

**Author's Note:** I REFUSE to believe that Mr. Schuester didn't know Spanish. That ruins my logical perspective of the show. (Logic in Glee? HAH!) But, I REFUSE to believe that a school system would hire a professor who didn't know anything about/have any sort of certification in the subject that he/she is teaching. So, the Ricky Martin episode didn't happen, except for the part where I chose to believe that Kurt was staring at Puck, which could easily be put in another episode. ;) ALSO, they're all seniors, except the new kids, who I don't care about, because they ALL started as sophomores, they should finish as seniors.

**Author's Note 2: **If you haven't read _More than a Lima Loser_, or _Surprise_, you should know this will eventually be Puck/Kurt. Well, actually it will mostly be Kurt/Santana friendship and some Kurt/OMC and Santana/OFC (like MLL) until it catches up to _Surprise_, but from then on it will be Puck/Kurt and Santana/Quinn.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine.

* * *

><p>Santana's day pretty much starts off the way it normally does. She wakes up, eats breakfast with her Mom, her Dad's still working a double shift at the hospital, and then heads to school. She swings by Brittany's place, so they can ride to school together. Outside of the front doors, she gives her girl a kiss, because she CAN, before she heads off to her first class of the day.<p>

She goes through the day as usual. Math is boring, Government is not as boring, and then comes Spanish. The class always makes her laugh considering that a man as white as Mr. Schuester can roll his R's as well as her Dad can, and then teaches them curse words they really shouldn't know. Of course, he follows them up with a wink that's supposed to mean they're sharing some sort of secret. She knows half the class isn't paying attention, but she loves Schue because he _cares_ and he always has, so she makes it a point to at least _pretend_ to pay attention.

When the bell rings, she heads to the choir room, and finds Brittany sitting in a chair, staring blankly at a piece of paper. Santana sits down beside her and puts her arm around Brittany's shoulders. She glances down at the paper in Brittany's hand that says she's failing Math. Santana knows that that's not a good number, and that the chances of Brittany bringing up her grade in time for graduation are pretty slim. She squeezes Brittany's shoulder before saying, "It's okay Brittany. You can still walk at graduation with the rest of us, and you can take this last class over the summer."

When Brittany looks up at Santana, there are tears in her eyes. Santana sighs and hugs Brittany before pulling away and cupping Brittany's face in her hands and wiping away her tears. Santana hugs her again and rocks her back and forth.

When Brittany stops crying, she pulls back to look at Santana, and says, "I love you."

Santana smiles because those words from Brittany's mouth pretty much mean the world to her. When the next words spill from Brittany's mouth, Santana's heart skips a beat.

"Will you stay with me?"

Santana smiles, "Sure, this class will be a breeze, and we'll get through it together."

Brittany shakes her head, "No, I mean after?"

Santana smiles because Brittany suggesting they stay together is a surprise, but a good surprise, nonetheless. Despite the fact that she applied and got in to schools out of state, and her Dad would probably pay for her tuition, she can defer go somewhere Brittany got in.

"Sure. OSU-Lima, here we come."

When Brittany hugged her, Santana hugged back just as fiercely.

"I'm hungry! Want to get lunch?"

Santana blinked at the non sequitur and shook her head at Brittany.

"I'm not hungry, but you go."

Brittany grinned at her before she jumped up and headed to the cafeteria.

Santana got up and headed back to the Spanish room

She loved Brittany more than anything in the world. She had to remember that when she was regretting her decision not to go to any of those out of state colleges. She sighed before closing her eyes and bowing her head. As luck would have it, she was interrupted at just that moment, by _Kurt_ of all people.

"Are you praying?"

She jerked her head up abruptly and scowled at him.

"Maybe, what's it to you?"

She watched as he ignored her question and sat down at the desk in front of her and turned his chair to face her. He crossed his legs and just looked at her. She scowled at him and opened her mouth to tell him that she wanted to be alone, but instead what came out of her mouth was "Brittany failed Math."

He blinked and raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, 'Is this supposed to come as a surprise?'

She sighed and rested her chin in her left hand and looked at him before telling him that she's not a moron. She explained that she's getting an A+ in AP Spanish, and she's always taken the AP levels of History and she's making an A in Government as well this semester. She got a B in Econ last semester, and she always gets Bs in Science and her English grades fluctuate between As and Bs because she hates analyzing poetry. She waves away her Cs in Math because that class hardly counts for anything. She mentions that she's been a Cheerio for four years, she was a cheerleader in middle school, and she was only in Glee for three years, but she loves it and could talk about it during any college interview. When she finishes she lets out a breath.

Kurt puts his hand on top of her right, where it's resting on the desk. He looks at her and says, "I broke up with Blaine."

At first she's shocked that he would have had the courage to be the one doing the breaking up. She always thought that would be the Hobbit's job. Then she sneers at him because she was talking about _her_ problems and he just interrupted and made things about him like usual. She didn't actually get to the problems that were bothering her, but she would get there in a minute.

He squeezes her hand and says, "I got into NYADA, so I broke up with Blaine." He's staring into her eyes willing her to understand and he sees the moment she actually gets it. She lets go of his hand and shakes her head and says, "No, I—I can't—"

"I'm not saying that you have to do what I did, but you're the one who's already starting to regret her decision. I can only assume that you'll be sticking around Lima with her, am I correct?"

Santana nods her head up and down in agreement.

Kurt sighs and stands up. He doesn't really have advice for her because he knows she doesn't want to hear it. He moves behind the desk and says what Rachel always says, "I'm going to hug you now, okay?"

She looks up at him before going into his arms and letting him stroke her hair until the bell rings.

~PKQSMSFW~

When graduation day rolls around, he pulls her into an embrace and similarly strokes her hair before saying, "I'll miss you! Keep in touch, yeah?"

She rolls her eyes and smirks at him before saying, "Yeah, you too."

She turns back to Brittany, Finn, and Artie while Kurt turns to Mercedes, who's laughing at Sam, while in his arms, and Rachel, who's staring at Kurt like he's an alien. She looks around at the rest of her friends and sees Quinn hugging Mike, and Puck hugging Tina. She's surprised at how far they've come and how three years ago, the individuals in this group would not have associated with each other. Now Puck's hugging Tina goodbye, Sam's dating Mercedes, Finn and Kurt are brothers, and she can't help but smile at all of them sharing hugs and laughing at each other. She smiles when Finn hugs Puck and Quinn hugs Artie. She grins and accepts a hug from Rachel. They all gather around and pull Mr. Schue in their huddle before letting the parents take pictures of all of them together. She smiles at her parents in the crowd and suppresses the thoughts of her Abuela. She snags the camera and takes a picture of Mr. Hummel wrapping because Mr. Schuester in a hug, because three years ago _that_ would not have happened. She smiles when Brittany kisses her cheek, and knows she made the right decision even if she'll regret it later.

* * *

><p>That line about Math was hard to write! I love MATH! But, I think it was IC for Santana.<p>

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Saying Goodbye  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 1,899  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Kurt, Santana, Brittany, Finn, Sam, Mercedes, Burt  
><strong>Pairing(s): <strong>past Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/OMC, past Santana/Brittany, Santana/OFC, Sam/Mercedes  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Drama/Angst (?)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> K-T I'm not quite sure? (I don't know how to write _those_ scenes, so if you're looking for porn, you've come to the wrong place.)  
><strong>Warnings: <strong>Unbetaed, feel free to correct any grammatical or syntactical errors. Also, this is a break up fic! So, if you actually like Klaine, well…this is not for you…Also, if you like Santana/Brittany…also, not for you…  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Some endings and some beginnings. Kurt and Santana follow their dreams.  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> umm, up to and including 3x12, just to be safe?

**Author's Note: **If you haven't read _More than a Lima Loser_, or _Surprise_, you should know this will eventually be Puck/Kurt. Well, actually it will mostly be Kurt/Santana friendship and some Kurt/OMC and Santana/OFC (like MLL) until it catches up to _Surprise_, but from then on it will be Puck/Kurt and Santana/Quinn.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine.

* * *

><p>It turns out later ends up being the end of their first semester. She knew it was too good to be true. She knew Brittany would eventually get bored and move on. She knew Brittany was just slightly on this side of bi-curious on a scale of straight to gay, but it still hurt. It hurt watching Brittany be happy with other people and it hurt when Brittany still expected them to be friends andor hook up occasionally. She doesn't blame Brittany. She's angry and hurt, but she knows she only has herself to blame. She knew this would happen eventually.

When Kurt comes home for the winter, Santana spends some time with him and Mercedes, and soaks up the comfort. Mercedes is sympathetic and caring and makes absolutely no comments about how annoyingly happy she and Sam are. She also mentions that Mike and Tina broke up, in hopes that it would make her feel better. It does make her feel a bit better. While Mercedes is kind and understanding, Kurt is exactly the opposite. He insists they drown their sorrows in retail therapy. Santana frowns at him and tells him that his problems in no way compare to her own. She insists that just because he couldn't handle the snobby kids who want to be on Broadway doesn't mean it's the end of the world. He snipes back at her and tells her that he knows perfectly well that it's not the end of the world. He's going to transfer and be pre-med because the entire NYADA semester was an eye opening experience. He knows that he doesn't have the personality Rachel has and that he doesn't _want_ it. He also calls her out on her pity party and explainsthat just because Brittany finally did what everyone expected her to do doesn't mean it's the end of the world for her either. Before Mercedes can interfere and play mediator, Santana smirks at Kurt and throws the arm that's not linked with Mercedes' around Kurt's shoulders.

"How long you been holding that in?"

Kurt sighs and laughs softly before saying, "A while."

They continue shopping until lunch, when Finn joins them. He mentions how proud Burt is of him and how the garage is doing great. They all go silent then, and Santana and Mercedes stare at Kurt, expecting him to say something. Kurt's tired of telling Finn that he has more potential. If Finn is happy at the garage, then Finn is happy at the garage. Finn ignores the silence at the table and asks Mercedes about school and her music program at Stanford. She says it's going well and she loves it. He explains that he keeps in touch with Sam, and he seems to be doing well at San Jose State. Mercedes looks over at Santana, who is making drawings in her ketchup with her French fries, and turns back to Finn to talk about how much she loves college life and how she and Sam still see each other regularly.

Finn heads back to the garage, leaving Kurt and the girls to do more shopping. He tells himself he's not jealous of Burt's approval of Finn, and that he's definitely not worried about Burt's reaction to Kurt's transfer. Later when Burt hugs him and tells Kurt that he supports his son's decisions, Kurt believes his earlier thoughts.

~PKQSMSFW~

When the Summer rolls around, and they all meet up again, this time with Sam in tow, Santana tells them, she's transferring to NYU.

"I just put things off for Brittany, and that tanked, so I focused on school, and I'll be joining Porcelain over here in the Big Apple."

"That's great, Santana! I was actually thinking of taking classes in Education at OSU-Lima."

They all look over at Finn in shock because none of them actually thought he'd leave the safety of the garage and take a risk by actually going after something he wants. They were happy that he was finally moving on. Kurt was smirking at all of them, and said, "Why don't you tell them who gave you the idea?"

Finn rolls his eyes and says, "I was talking to Puck on Facebook, and he said he was taking community college courses in Connecticut, and I thought it was a good idea." Finn doesn't comment on the shocked looks on their faces because he knows they didn't think much of Puck back in high school. He doesn't mention the fact that Puck is holding down a job and looking after Beth part time because he's proud of Puck for finally letting go of his past and taking responsibility for himself. He's glad Puck found a way to still be a part of Beth's life, and found himself along the way. He looks at the put-out expression on Mercedes' face and asks her what's wrong.

"You're all on the East Coast now, except for Finn."

Sam wraps an arm around her and kisses her cheek before saying, "You still have me."

She smiles at him, then immediately turns to scowl at Santana and Kurt, who are miming retching noises, and Finn, who's laughing at them. Sam smiles at them before asking Kurt how about the guy from his Chemistry class. Kurt smiles and says, "He's a big step up from any of the guys at NYADA." Kurt doesn't mention that the guys at NYADA had what he didn't. He doesn't mention that they were all exactly like Rachel. Kurt knows he has the same ambition Rachel has, but he also knows that he's not the type to do _anything_ to go after those particular dreams. Rachel knew what she had to do to succeed and if it meant stepping on a few toes or stabbing someone in the back, she was ready to do it. Kurt knows he's not perfect, and that on occasion he's pulled a few punches that were aimed below the belt, but that's why he left NYADA. He wasn't willing to be that guy. He doesn't fault Rachel for being that type of person, but he knows that's not who he wants to be.

"He better be, or I'll kick his butt," Finn said with a scowl on his face.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but a fond smile was pulling at his lips.

~PKQSMSFW~

Summer passes by in a similar manner, and when Kurt and Santana head back to New York, they fall into a routine of their own. Surprisingly, it works for them, and sharing a dorm room together isn't as annoying as they expected it to be.

~PKQSMSFW~

They're having lunch in the Union one day in October when a pretty brunette girl comes up to Kurt and asks if she can borrow his notes from the O. Chem. lecture because she overslept that morning. Kurt smiles and hands them over, but not before insisting that she take proper care of them. She smiles back and insists that her OCD would prevent her from damaging them in any way. She thanks him and smiles at Santana before leaving.

Santana stares after her before turning back to Kurt.

"So, what's her story," she questions in an attempt to be casual.

Kurt flicks his hair away from his forehead and says, "She's an intelligent sophomore from Pittsburgh. She also doesn't sleep with random girls on the first date and yes, she plays for your team. She's also not bisexual. So, she's not your usual type."

Santana would comment on that except for the fact that it's not her job to defend Brittany anymore. There's also the fact that she knows Kurt's more likely referencing the string of one night stands she's come in contact with since her time at NYU. She knows Kurt cares about her and wants her to respect herself, but she's also certain that he's tired of being sexiled from their dorm room, especially after he and Jeff broke up.

She looks up at him, and says, "Want to play matchmaker?"

Kurt smiles at her impishly before shooting off a text.

~PKQSMSFW~

It turns out Santana is capable of holding down a long term relationship, or at least what counts for a long term relationship at their age. She and Sabrina last through winter break, all the way to April. Eventually, their relationship fizzles out, and they're both surprisingly okay with it. Santana goes back to her hooking up with random girls, which doesn't drive Kurt as crazy as it did because he ends up spending the nights in Michael's dorm. Santana pretty much hates Michael, but Kurt insists he's a great guy. When they head back to Lima for the summer at the end of May, Kurt realizes exactly why Michael's the biggest jerk on the planet when he finds out about the Jason, Michael's hometown boyfriend. Kurt and Santana take the summer off in Lima and Kurt takes one of those prep courses for the MCAT. He spends the summer drowning himself in his studies, hanging out with his friends and family, and getting over Michael.

~PKQSMSFW~

The two of them head back to New York and settle into the dorm that's become a second home now. The day before school starts, Kurt is freaking out over his MCAT and Santana's telling him he's lost his marbles. He gripes back at her that she has an internship under her belt, and that applying to Graduate School for her major isn't nearly as strenuous and taxing as applying to Medical School. Santana points out that he still has two and a half years of school left. Kurt starts hyperventilating, and Santana grabs him by the shoulders, and says, "Listen, I don't say this often in our friendship, but I love you. _That_ is why I'm about to do this." She brings her hand back and smacks Kurt across the face. His eyes are wide and his mouth his open, but his breathing is under control. Santana's hands are still on his shoulders and she asks, "Are you okay?" He nods his head up and down in response and says, "Yes. Thank you for that." Santana smiles at him and nods her head in approval before kissing his cheek where she slapped him and pulls him into a rough hug.

She's not good at the whole pep talk thing, but she tries her best anyway.

"If it weren't for Rachel, you would have gotten all the solos in Glee Club. Your grades are good. You're not an idiot."

She pulls him away, but doesn't let go of his shoulders, and says, "Okay?"

He nods his in agreement and says, "Thanks, Satan. Want to go grab dinner?"

She sighs in relief at the smile on his face and lets go of his shoulders before saying, "Oh, thank God."

He rolls his eyes at her, and they head to cafeteria.

~PKQSMSFW~

Kurt's first day goes as first days usually go. He has professors that go over the syllabus and professors that lecture. He's pretty excited about this year, and when he heads to lunch, he gets a text from Santana:

'_I have a surprise 4 u.'_

He rolls his eyes at her text-speak and wonders what Santana's surprise is. He's hoping they're giving away freebies in the Union. However, when he gets to their booth in the Union, he looks at the other figure in shock,

"_Puck?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note 2:<strong> Whoo hoo! I'm all caught up to Surprise! That took a lot of work! Anyway, I don't hate Brittany, I ADORE her, but I just ship who I ship, and I think Kurt would be catty towards her now that he and Santana are all BFF. I think I gave ample warning about the angst and drama between the most popular pairings on the show.

**Author's Note 3: **I'm SO sorry! I accidentally posted this under In-Progress, but it's Complete. The story has caught up to Surprise, so that is the one that will be updated now. SORRY again!

Thanks for reading!


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